


Let them talk

by IAmNotOneOfThem



Category: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - No partners, Ben's not taken, Daniel's not married, M/M, RLS, Real Life Ship, Tags to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-24
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-03 12:31:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/698261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmNotOneOfThem/pseuds/IAmNotOneOfThem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel met Ben before, shooting Layer Cake, at award shows, the usual kind of meeting between two actors from the same country. Something about Skyfall was different though, something clicked, and they fell in love.</p>
<p>Having a relationship wasn't easy, not with the media putting them under pressure, hatred and phobia in their way, and miles keeping them apart. But they managed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Skyfall is where we start

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta-read yet.

He hadn't seen Whishaw in a while - Layer Cake, hadn't it been? - and was kind of exited, a light smile curling up the corners of his lips as he entered the Gallery, ready for the scene.

It was three am, not the time he liked for shooting scenes but it would do, everyone being tired, or running on caffeine. He had seen part of the camera team nap, others setting up everything.

The light, the audio, some were reading the instructions so everything would go smoothly. Daniel knew that they'd have to shoot the scene over and over again, until it would be perfect and then again just for good meassure, but he had been up for hours by now, reading through the script, memorising lines, talking to Sam about how he should portray which emotion through which facial expression, drinking coffee, playing on his PSP.

Part of Daniel wondered if he remembered what it was like to sleep, and what the 'Daniel's Female Fan Base'-room would think of him now. Sleepy, sipping at his coffee, looking around the gallery in interest.

There he was. Benjamin Whishaw, dressed up as Q.

Daniel smiled, putting his plastic cup onto the table and deciding to go and make some small-talk until they'd have to start shooting. Judging from Sam's expression, it could take a while, and Benjamin looked as if he was about to fall asleep any moment.

He reminded Daniel of a cat, strangely, even though the actor had no idea why.

His hair was ruffled and a bit chaotic, as curly as always, and not as short as it had been during the last few movies they had been in together. He remembered the short hair from Layer Cake, and the helmet-accident from an earlier movie, when his hair had been short too.

It was good to see it in its natural chaotic mess, more of a mop than a haircut. Whoever had decided to give a computer genius such hair, they had made a good move.

Ben looked younger than he usually did, especially with the glasses, ridiculously big on his face. His eyes were half-closed, head hanging down a bit as if he was about to doze off any moment.

He held the script in his hand, spidery fingers tapping on the paper almost impatiently. There were earphones in his ears, so he probably was listening to music.

Daniel remembered how he always used to humm between scenes, being the music fan he was. They had talked about music once and there had been an enthusiastic light sparkling in those green eyes, bright and huge.

Right now they were fixed on the script, some lines high-lighted. Yellow, bright neon. It were his lines, Daniel assumed, and he was doing a last read-over, which Daniel had done on the drive here.

He sat down next to him and folded his hands in his lap, rolling his shoulders lightly. The jacket was on a chair back in the room they had been given make-up in, so he was only in a white shirt and a tie. The make-up artist would have his head would he try to open or even loosen it.

Benjamin hadn't noticed him yet, so Daniel reached out to take an earphone out off his ear, having to smirk in amusement as Ben flinched startled.

"Oh h-hello", he said and smiled almost shyly, making Daniel want to ruffle his hair a bit.

He glanced around, but since he didn't want Ben to go back into the dragon's den, he decided to do it later. Maybe once they'd finish the scene, he thought, making a mental note to that.

"It's been a while, Benjamin", Daniel smiled, a bit amused by Ben's shyness. Another thing he remembered, the shy behaviour of his co-star, almost like he was afraid to get kicked.

It was like now he understood the people comparing him to tiny cute animals, because sitting there next to him he could see it too. The shy glances, the huge eyes, the messy fluffy hair. Poor Ben, the fangirls would eat him alive, chew on him, spit him out again only to lock him in a cage.

Daniel had long ago stopped caring about what the internet said - he had his daughter for that.

But poor Ben? He was everything they'd want. A cute young man with fluffy hair.

Maybe he shouldn't have been thinking that, Daniel thought, giving Ben a bright grin, wrinkles around his eyes. He knew they were there, the media wasn't exactly polite.

"Oh y-yes... Layer Cake, right?", Ben said and closed his script, turning a bit into Daniel's direction to pay complete attention to him.

Daniel saw the glance of some technological device in his pocket as he put the earphones away and turned it off, and Daniel couldn't resist to ask.

"And here I thought you are useless with technology?", he teased gently, keeping his tone light.

Ben looked down on the MP3-player, Daniel assumed, and played with it in his hands. "My brother, James, gave me that one, since I like to listen to music. He says my phone isn't ca-capable of playing a-any."

Daniel frowned. "That must be an old phone, then. One with big buttons and no functions but phoning?"

"It h-has internet connection."

The elder of the two whistled and settled back, leaning against the wall behind them. He knew that he probably shouldn't have, not when there was an expensive painting hanging right above his head, but he couldn't be arsed to care.

"I'm impressed", he teased, "A phone with internet connection is a rare thing these days."

It almost looked like Ben was about to roll his eyes, but instead he just looked at Daniel which he later would entitle as his 'Tired of your shit'-face, signature expression for his portrayal of Q in Skyfall, and later movies of this role.

Three movies, that was what Daniel had heard Ben had signed for. The role of Q would grow, and there were some rumours which Daniel was kind of exited about. He'd have to wait for the writers to decide whether to risk that or not, and if they could get away with that.

Skyfall was testing the waters, so to say, and the next Bond would surely be just as shocking as the other ones he had been in.

The press would surely love it.

"Are you exited?", Daniel asked after a few moments of silence, genuinely curious, "Your very first Bond-movie."

Ben wet his lips, licking over the lower one, nibbling on it softly. Daniel couldn't stop himself from staring, distracted by the motion for a moment or two.

"It's three in the morning, I want to go to sleep, and I-I probably look l-like hell", Ben muttered eventually, making Daniel laugh out aloud, the confused expression on the young man's face worth it the glances he got from the team around them. "They don't have enough coffee here..."

Daniel made a gesture to the table they had put in the corner, with a kettle of coffee, a lot of cups and a bowl with sugar and milk close by. "Not sure if you can call it coffee, if it is it's the shittiest I've ever had."

Ben chuckled, tapping on his script, glance wandering around. "That's a bit harsh...", he mumbled quietly.

"Only the truth. Have you tried it?"

Benjamin shook his head and Daniel got up, stretching with a yawn. A camerawoman gave him an odd glance, before focusing on her equipment again. He gave a smirk, then looked at Ben who blinked up at him in confusion.

He really was like a kitten, Daniel thought, seeing how Ben struggled to suppress a yawn.

"What are you-"

"You can't be on a set of a Bond-movie without tasting some of the coffee, it's tradition", Daniel interrupted him and nodded along his own words, his expression deadly serious.

Ben's face was priceless, confusion written along the lines of his mouth, thinned into a line except for his pouty lower lip. Slightly swollen from all the sucking he did, highly distracting.

Daniel found himself staring from time to time.

"R-really?"

Daniel laughed quietly and offered his hand to pull Ben up, which the younger accepted. He helped him up, wrapping his fingers around his wrist, feeling his quickened pulse. Nervosity was normal for every actor, even Daniel felt it, but it was weaker and less obvious. This was his third performance as Bond, by now the panic from the beginning was gone.

Now he just wanted to play, to nail the role and do his best.

Ben probably thought he had to leave an impression, which he most likely would do anyway, regardless of what he'd do.

"No, it's just coffee. But you look like you might fall asleep any moment." Daniel grinned. "Can't have you falling asleep at your first time as Q, can we?"

Ben shook his head and pushed the glasses up they have given him, far too big like Daniel had expected them too. Either Sam's doing, or just a mistake from the props. They surely knew about what they were doing.

"I assume we cannot."

"No we can't", Daniel nodded, and pulled Ben along, past the camera team, Sam and some other members of their shooting team, heading to a corner in which they had set up a table with coffee, and some snacks, "How do you take your coffee?"

Ben leant against the wall next to him and looked at Daniel, raising an eyebrow. "Milk or sugar would be counter-productive, I think."

Daniel grinned. "Didn't know you were a sassy little thing, Ben", he joked, watching how a faint blush spread out across Ben's cheeks, light and almost not visible, but it made Daniel's heart rate increase out of a reason he didn't, couldn't, understand.

"I wouldn't call it sassy."

"What then?" Daniel poured some coffee into a plastic cup and handed it over to Ben, before pouring some for himself, the coffee in his old cup cold already.

"A healthy amount of something people call 'sense of humour'." Ben smiled almost shyly, lifting his cup to sip at it.

Daniel waited patiently, staring into Ben's face with an intense gaze. Seconds passed, Ben swallowed. His lips pursed for the glimpse of a second, eyes going wide and teeth gritted.

It took Daniel all effort in the world to not just laugh out aloud right now, all he did was grinning and chuckling, playing with his own cup in his hands, enjoying how it brought back some feeling into his fingers.

As Ben put the cup down, he had to laugh however, causing a young girl next to them to flinch and look at him in surprise. Daniel lifted a hand and patted Ben's shoulder, the younger man looking down onto his shoes.

"And?"

"It's...", Ben started, obviously searching for some kind of word, something to say, but he ended up sighing, "It's horrible. It's even better in theatre productions, and that's something which should not be possible."

Daniel laughed. "Welcome at the set of _Skyfall_ , where we probably would manage to kill our actors with coffee."

Ben chuckled, a nice, pure sound Daniel wanted to hear again and again, something alike pride rushing through his veins since he had been the person to make him do that noise. "Probably?", Ben repeated, putting the cup away, even pushing it a bit further, as far away as possible, "Most likely."

It was like Whishaw was warming up, slowly. He remembered him to be shy and jumpy in a group of more than four people, especially during the shooting of the first movie they've been in together. A witty, clever young man with sass he hid behind adorableness when he was alone with someone he knew, or during interviews - when he wasn't stuttering, or searching for words, of course.

Daniel had seen one or two, accidentally, and he had been highly amused and entertained. There was something about watching the actor talk about things he was passionate about, music, art, acting. His eyes sparkled and he was beaming, the happiest man alive at that moment.

The elder had been enchanted, almost. Unable to switch channels.

Seeing that Ben's lips moved, Daniel blinked, drawn out of his thoughts and back into reality. "Mmh?"

Ben turned his head to look at him and wet his lips - a nervous habit maybe? It was distracting, at least, making Daniel think about things he should not have been thinking about. Yet he found himself staring at Ben's lips, before he quickly looked into his eyes again.

"Do you think we'll get into bed before other people go to work?", Ben repeated, gaze wandering over the pictures hanging on the walls, old and new paintings, stopping at their bloody big ship.

Daniel had to smirk, one of his favourite lines. "I seriously doubt it. We'll shoot the same scene over and over again until Sam decides it's perfect, and then again just because."

Ben let out a groan and took the cup again, downing the coffee in one gulp. "Wonderful."

"Joyful joy, Ben", Daniel agreed, patting his back, "You'll manage."

Seeing that Sam was making the last adjustments, talking to the leader of the camera team and opening his script book, Daniel turned his head to Ben again, not really thinking about what he was going to say now. "Are you hungry?"

Ben blinked at him. "... a bit perhaps. Why?"

"We could go and get breakfast."

"That would be an early breakfast."

Daniel hummed. "Depends on how long Sam lets us shoot. We might not get out of here until six am or later." Ben's eyes widened in horror, making Daniel wish for his phone so he could snap a picture of that expression. "I've had worse, you'll get used to it."

"I'll probably be dead on my feet by six am", Whishaw muttered, pushing his glasses up again, "But why not, I might still be hungry by then."

Daniel beamed, happily pushing himself off the wall the moment Sam loudly claimed that they would start shooting the scene now. Ben followed him before he walked out of the camera's reach, rolling his shoulders and mumbling something, probably repeating his first lines.

They had already shot the part where Bond would enter the Gallery, and would start with Q's entrance. It meant Daniel could sit, which he was grateful for.

He looked at the picture in front of him, repeating his lines in his head, nothing hard, easy and short dialogue, witty, perfectly paced bantering. He had the feeling the authors were trying to give a hint to the further progress of Q's and Bond's relationship, they had been vague about their plans so far.

Daniel turned his head to look at Ben, giving him a calming smile which the younger returned almost hesitantly.

"Light", Sam said, "Camera, background..."

Daniel nodded to Ben who nodded back, nervousness leaking out of his body, everything still tense but in a self-confident way. It was like a different person was standing there, Ben's face blank, a certain kind of arrogance to it. Someone new, a different persona, something not many actors were capable of.

Daniel turned his head to the picture again, ready to shoot.

"Action!"


	2. The green of his eyes

There was a certain kind of arrogance resting in every actor, deep inside their bones and running through their veins like blood, because just like every other job, one had to be born with the ability to act.

Daniel had always wanted to be an actor, for as long as he could remember.

He had been arrogant enough to think that he couldn't do anything else and here he was now, playing James Bond in his third movie - _being_ James Bond with every breath he took, moving with a grace only a secret agent could possess, speaking and thinking the way his role would.

Ben, on the other hand, could have been a musician. He could have been an artist, for all Daniel knew, because apparently he knew how to play the piano and was gifted with a sense for euphony and beauty. He didn't have to be an actor, not like Daniel, nor like any other actor whose destination it was to be, but something inside Daniel was thankful for this decision, of only to witness such a drastic, rigorous change.

The banter between the two characters felt perfect.

Perfectly paced, with pauses and breaks, no eye contact for most of the dialogue and pure focus on the spoken words. The accent Ben used for his role, posh and pretty, Oxford perhaps, was just as fascinating as the minimalistic movements he made. Motions of the kind _'blink and you'll miss it'_.

At first it appeared like he was not moving at all, except for the occasional blink, but at the third time they shot the scene, Daniel noticed that Ben changed the way he held himself slightly.

It was in his shoulders and his neck, head sometimes tilted in the most inconspicious way possible, without ostentation and without attracting the viewer's eye immediately. He appeared to be stiff, his expression however displayed the emotions he hid in his played arrogance, and Daniel was impressed.

Most actors always did the same, even the most successful and famous ones. The same expression, the same body posture, everything identical to the former roles. And, most likely, also the future ones.

A few actors however were capable of what Ben was doing, something Daniel wouldn't have expected because, quite frankly, Ben didn't look as if he could.

Appearances were wrong, they were bogus and treacherous.

They had to do the scene a few times, Dan lost count after seven times the same dialogue, the same actions over and over again, and each time Sam commented less, until he was sitting there in silence, watching Daniel and Benjamin work their magic.

Daniel understood why the writers had mentioned an expansion of Q's role from a minor part to a major, even the most important strand was supposed to be bound around the Quartermaster, and the growing relationship between Bond and him.

The bickering was perfect. It created the kind of tension fans would leap on, and would cause discussions. 

Brave new world. New roles, less explosions, less women being killed just for the sake of drama, almost like meat with no emotions or soul behind. Less of the old aura of the franchise, and a transformation to something new, something modern.

Those were the kind of thoughts which could only go through an actor's mind when he had a lot of time on his hands, and right now Daniel found himself not only growing bored, but also more tired. Sam was re-watching the scene to see if that would be their final shot, and the team was waiting for orders. Ben had disappeared shortly after the shout of 'Cut!' and hadn't returned since.

Daniel got up and stretched, groaning at the tension in his shoulders and muscles, then went on a search for Ben.

Not that the actor had fallen asleep in the restroom and now needed someone to pull him out off the toilet, Dan thought with an amused chuckle, pushing the door to the rooms for the actors open.

The sight in front of him made him blink and stop, because while the first part of his assumption had been correct, the second wasn't exactly. Ben was asleep, but not in the restroom.

He was laying on the tiny couch someone with an generous personality had put into the room for today's shooting, curled up and with a blanket thrown over him. Legs tangled in the fabric, one hand under the actor's head, the other hanging off the couch's side.

Ben's face looked peaceful, relaxed, and his breathing was even, even if not audible.

Daniel almost felt bad for waking him up, but then he didn't really, and he still hadn't got his revenge for the helmet accident a few years ago.

Approaching the sleeping kitten slowly and carefully, Daniel let him rest for a few more moments, and he didn't do that out of personal reasons, no, but because he felt a bit of mercy. He couldn't imagine how long Ben had been awake, and for someone used to theatre productions it must have been unbelievably hard to stay awake at this time, and after the stress of shooting.

He reached out and put a hand on Ben's shoulder, shaking him softly. The younger man gave an annoyed whine - and thereby Daniel another reason to call him kitten in his head - and turned away from Daniel to bury his face in the backrest of the couch, curling up further.

Daniel chuckled and shook him again, this time a bit more forcefully. "Ben, get up. We're finished."

Ben mumbled something and squirmed, half of the blanket slipping off his frame, the rest stupidly wrapped around him with no way out. Really, Daniel was just doing him a favour, he would fall off the couch and onto the ground would he try to stand up like this.

Daniel shook him, and finally, Ben woke up.

Big, green eyes looked up at him in disbelief, a bit watery and far too huge for a man of thirty. Kitten, definitely a kitten, Daniel thought, smiling almost softly.

"Rise and shine, the morning has awoken", he said teasingly joyful, "We are free to go now. Breakfast?"

Ben said nothing and only stared, blinking once, twice, before he pulled the blanket over his head and hid from Daniel's view, sprawling out lazily.

Feet in nothing but socks hanging over one armrest, head resting on the other. Daniel rubbed his eyes and sighed, looking around for something he could use in his quest of getting Ben stay awake long enough.

There was nothing of use, no speaker, no instrument nor a basket he could fill with water.

"Ben", he tried again, shaking the other man's shoulders, "Wake up. You can sleep in the hotel after you ate."

As there still was no reply, Daniel simply sat down on top of Ben's legs and leant back, trying to put as many weight onto the other as possible. With a chuckle he listened to the flow of curses coming out of Ben's mouth, words he would have never expected from a shy creature like his co-star.

"That hurts", Ben whined, trying to glare.

With his hair ruffled, curls and wisps hanging into his face and covering most of his eyes; with his eyes sparkling and being huge and with his shirt slipping down his shoulder to reveal white, pale flesh, Ben looked anything but threatening. He looked delicious, and the thought alone made Daniel frown, because where had it come from, and why was it here?

"You need to eat more, then it wouldn't hurt as much." Daniel grinned at the other. "Which brings me back to my question: Breakfast?"

He jumped on his feet and offered his hand to Ben, watching a delicate frown spread out across his features before Ben took the hand and let himself be pulled up, nearly stumbling and giving a yawn.

"They'll eat you alive", Daniel mumbled with an intonation of pity.

Ben blinked at him and tilted his head. "Pardon?"

Dan shook his head, adjusting his shirt. He yet had to change into his private clothes and give back the shirt and the trousers, but for the moment he had a mission, and took it seriously. Keep Benjamin Whishaw awake, and take him to breakfast.

"Nothing", Daniel lied, "Let's go?"

"Do I have to?"

Daniel nodded enthusiastically and Ben groaned, running a hand through his messy hair. "Fine, okay. J-just give me a moment."

With that he turned around and bent down to fetch his clothes laying there, a jumper which would be too big for everyone including Daniel himself, a shirt for underneath and some trousers, putting them on while Daniel turned around to give him some privacy.

In the time Ben combed through his hair with his fingers, Daniel disappeared for a moment and changed into his own clothes, bringing their jackets and the bag Ben had forgotten on the bench.

"Thanks", Ben muttered as he shouldered said, rolling his shoulders, "Are you sure the restaurant will have open now? It's-" He looked at his watch. "-five in the morning."

Daniel nodded. "Of course they will."

"But if not?"

"They will."

With that he wrapped his fingers around Ben's wrist and pulled him along, making the younger man gasp in surprise, stumbling in his attempt to follow.

The air outside was cold, the streets nearly empty. Some people made their way home, others returned from work, but most were about to go to work, into offices and bureaus or to whereever they were working.

At this time of the day, it was easy to hail a cab, and it was even more easier if your name was Daniel Craig and your face recognised.

The cabbie stopped and let them in, and Daniel gave him the address of a tiny coffee shop about fifteen minutes away from the Gallery. They could have walked of course, but there was the chance of Ben falling asleep while walking, and Daniel wasn't willing to take that risk. Besides, a cab was more comfortable. Warm, cosy, less bothersome and it was faster too.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Ben", he teased gently as Ben's head sank down, his chin resting on his chest. "You're an actor, shouldn't you be used to inhuman working times?"

The other hummed, slowly lifting his head and returning the gaze laying on him, eyelids half-closed. "It's five am."

"So?"

Ben looked at him as if Daniel had lost his mind, making him chuckle and push down the thought of ruffling Whishaw's hair up further. He briefly entertained the thought of feeling the curls, wondering if they were soft, like satin.

"It's five **am** ", Ben repeated quietly, "Five bloody am."

Daniel laughed quietly. "Didn't know you could curse while being awake too. _Cute_." Ben glared. "Oh come on, kitten. Don't be like that."

Whishaw frowned at him and leant back slightly, shoulder bumping against the window of the door he was leaning against. He looked downright confused and horrified, resembling a cat more and more, tempting Daniel to reach out and stroke his hair, scratch over his neck and throat. Daniel was sure it would make him purr, or moan at least.

Being mildly - who was he kidding - shocked by his thoughts, the older actor cleared his throat, mumbling an apology.

Ben blinked. "Where did that come from?"

"The apology or the nickname?"

"The nickname."

Daniel shrugged, turning his head to watch London pass.

The swirl of colours and light, houses and people passing in the protection of the night. Dark like the feathering of a raven or crow, silence except for the cars and the soft muttering of the people. Daniel smiled to himself, it was good to be here again, back in England and London.

"Don't know where that came from", he said as the cabbie stopped the car in front of a tiny shop, the 'opened'-shield making Daniel smirk, "I told you it would be open."

Ben looked over to see the the café. "It's five am."

"So?"

The brown-haired man snorted and was about to get his wallet to pay, but Daniel was quicker. Something in Ben's expression made him chuckle and give a mock-bow while sitting, taking his credit card back from the cabbie.

"Why are they open at five am", Ben mumbled in disbelief. He followed Daniel out off the car, allowing the older man to drag him along by the wrist. It send a shiver up Daniel's spine to feel the soft skin under his own, pale and white in contrast to his own.

"Because they are, Ben", Daniel simply replied, "I should maybe warn you about the shop's owner, if she is here, she'll want to shove food down your throat."

Ben's blush was adorable and Daniel chuckled, opening the door for the two of them, the scent of coffee and tea rising into his nose.

It was cosy in there, warm. The night outside had been cold, so the quick switch between the two temperature extremes caused Ben's cheeks to flush and his body to give a visible shiver. Daniel rubbed a soothing circle on his wrist, not knowing why he hadn't let go yet, and gently pulled him over to a table, dropping down on it with a long breath he let out.

"Who would have thought that shooting a scene like that can be this bloody exhausting", he groaned, patting the empty space on the booth next for him so Ben would sit down there, "At least tomorrow there won't be any shooting done until later in the evening."

"The scenes with Judi?", Ben asked, folding his hands in his lap.

Daniel nodded. "And Ralp, I think they shot their scenes earlier yesterday and actually got some sleep." He pointed at the bags under his eyes, make-up hiding them gone after washing briefly. "The make-up artist will be frustrated."

Ben shook his head with a soft smile. "We could have gone back to the hotel if you're this tired."

"No!" Daniel protested immediately, a bit surprised at his own intonation, just like Ben whose eyes had widened slightly, expression reminding Daniel of a terrified puppy. "I asked you if you want to have breakfast, sleep can wait. You are too thin."

"Truer words never were spoken, Daniel", a female voice interrupted, putting down two plates in front of Ben and the other actor, followed by two cups of tea.

She was an elderly lady with greying hair and wrinkles all over her face, giving her something wise and not doing any damage to her beauty Daniel would always recognise, even when she'd be older and even more grey. The stream of the tea rose into Daniel's nose and he sniffed, feeling the scent of something exotique warm his limbs and his body from within, Ben's shoulders sinking so he probably was experiencing the same.

"We didn't order yet", Daniel hummed in amusement, sipping at his tea without looking up at her. She smacked his neck and then turned around, leaving for another table. "Isn't she lovely?"

Ben blinked. "She hit you..."

"Well yes, she does that. To keep me grounded."

"...t-to keep you g-grounded?"

Daniel nodded and settled back, gaze wandering around, never stopping until his eyes found Ben's.

There was something stupid about reading the scripts of love movies, in which total strangers fell in love with each other after one first glance, an imagination Daniel didn't believe in.

He had loved his daughter from the moment he had seen her, but a purer, less troubled love than the sentiments one held for a lover. Loving a child was a different story, another time, another place, and love at first sight was a concept he couldn't understand.

But the way he found himself slowly loosing the grasp on reality every sane person had as he looked into Ben's eyes, feeling his heart rate pick up and get faster, he wondered if it might be possible, might be true.

Ben smiled at him shyly and Daniel smiled back, his heart skipping a beat.

"Biscuit?", he asked, offering one to Ben who took it, playing with it in his fingers. "You are supposed to eat it, Ben."

"I know", Ben huffed, biting into it.

Daniel leant a bit forward, watching him in silence.

Maybe love at first sight did exist, or love at twentieth time, he had lost count. The only thing mattering at this moment was Ben's smile, and the green of his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not yet beta-read

There weren't many scenes in the script for which Daniel didn't have to be present. Only a few and those normally were filmed when he had done all of his scenes so he could go home, relax a bit and enjoy his time; today, however, was an exception.

They had actually planned to shoot the scenes in MI6 today, but with Ralph lying in his bed trying to recover from a sudden attack of migraine and with Sam deciding that it wasn't worth the trouble of pulling him up to his feet, half of the team left for the scenery shots they could do without the cast.

Daniel felt like he was on vacation.

Breakfast with Ben had been short, almost too short in Daniel's opinion. They had laughed, had looked each other in the eye a lot and had, in general, acted like two teenagers on a date.

It wasn't the most horrible thing to remember when waking up afterwards, not like the hangover after a night spent drinking and choosing random women on the street, not like the cries of a daughter and the command of a wife. He could stretch, enjoy the sunlight falling into his hotel room and reflect the time spent with the young, energetic actor.

Ben was terribly shy. Everyone with a bit of intelligence would notice that but something told Daniel that it wasn't all. There was more, some secret personality Ben was hiding behind his shy smiles, his stuttering and the chuckles he tried to mute behind a lifted hand.

Something told Daniel that he just had to get used to someone before he could be himself, and he was determined to see the real Ben. Wanted to break through his shell, climb over the walls he created and hug the person inside; there were many darker, less innocent thoughts running through his brain but he fought them all off, blaming the lack of sleep for them.

Pushing the blankets off, he jumped to his feet and stretched, arching his back until he could hear it protest. Would someone have told him that one day he would rather go and wake his co-star up than sleep for longer he would have stared at them in disbelief, but directly after he showered, brushed his teeth and put on some clothes, he made his way down to the level Ben's room was located.

A few hours ago, after finishing breakfast and returning quickly so both of them could sleep, he had brought Ben here and had said goodbye to him with a light smile, delighted to see that it had made Ben blush lightly. The stuttered out 'goodnight' had certainly not been of help.

Part of Daniel wanted to hug Ben and never let go again, the rest graved some physical contact, wanted more, _needed more_ ; it reminded him of the time spent hoping that Fiona would say yes, torn between wanting to cry, to hide underneath his blanket and staring at her until she'd say something without knowing the question.

Daniel wasn't a patient man, or at least he wouldn't make the mistake of calling himself one.

He wasn't used to want something without a reason he was aware of, but he wanted to spend some time with Ben and knocked on his door quietly at first, hesitating as he realised that the other could be sleeping.

Pictures of earlier this day rose into his mind, a sleeping Ben on the couch in the Gallery, hair beautifully chaotic, breathing soft and figure delicate. His skin white, smooth and perfect;  probably soft under fingers, exquisite to touch.

Daniel shook his head, trying to banish those thoughts. He looked at the door impatiently before knocking again, this time hearing something from behind the door. Something - someone - moved, the rustling of sheets being moved.

Footsteps approached and the next moment someone opened the door, Ben's eyes widening slightly as he recognised Daniel. Just like predicted, he reminded Daniel of a fluffy little animal just having woken up, with chaotic hair, far too big clothes and an expression making Daniel want to carry him back to bed and tuck him in.

Instead he gave his most charming smile and tilted his head, wondering if Ben was even awake.

He was looking at Daniel with half-closed eyes, obviously fighting hard to stay awake. His fingers curled around the doorframe he took a step backwards, gestured inside and collapsed on the bed, burying his face in the pillow; as endearing the sight was, Daniel unfortunately needed him awake.

Even though it was rude he sat down next to Ben and reached out to ruffle his hair - something he had wanted to do since finding out that the young Brit would be casted for the role of 'Q'. Ben just mumbled something, unconsciously leaning into the touch while Daniel tried his very best not to get any bad ideas.

It would be easy to give up, do something horrible and highly unprofessional, but then, so was petting his co-worker while trying to take him out for dinner and Daniel wasn't as bothered about that as he should have been.

"Do you want dinner?"

Ben hummed, shaking his head. Politely Daniel took that as a yes and pulled him up gently, making sure he was steady before letting go. He watched Ben as he went into the bathroom and listened to the sound of the shower running, sitting there and looking at his hands in faked interest.

Maybe Ben was one of those people who couldn't function without caffeine in their system. Next time, Daniel decided, he'd bring Ben some coffee before asking him about dinner - he paused, blinking.

_ Next time. _

He hadn't counted the lines Ben had in the whole script but it didn't take a genius to know that it weren't many. In this movie he was little but a side-character, appearing once or twice before never being seen again - or so the viewers would think.

The truth was different, however, and he already did look forward to James Bond 24 and the time he could spend together with his co-stars then. Everyone was busy in between, some thought that it would be too much would they cling on the other and Daniel always wondered why. He, for example, could imagine calling Ben, Ralph or Javier for dinner or lunch, just to talk a bit and stay in touch.

He knew his time with Ben on set was short, comically brief. Ben would stay close and in London, of course, just so he could be there in case they needed to shoot a scene another time, but he wouldn't be there playing Q once his scenes were done. It was only normal that Daniel decided to spend some time with him, try to get him to loosen up a bit.

If the writers would get through with their plans then Ben had at least three movies ahead, if the fans would like the idea then maybe even more. Daniel didn't know how many he'd end up doing, but he looked forward to each, to see how the fans would react to the plan.

Daniel smiled, looking up as Ben stepped out of the bathroom with a white shirt and a jacket on, jeans clinging onto his legs more tightly than the trousers he wore as Q or the suits Daniel had seen him in now and then.

It made him look younger than he was, more like twenty and not thirty.

He yawned, putting a hand in front of his mouth before he looked at Daniel as if he was waiting.

"We can go get dinner somewhere or bring it here?" Daniel suggested, already taking his phone out. Ordering takeout always was a bit harder when you didn't want the press to know where you were living. He sometimes used false names, sometimes told the receptionist to take the food for him so he didn't have to reveal his room's number or his name - god forbid anyone found out where they were staying during Skyfall - but today he thought about asking for room service.

It would probably be delicious, and hey, he didn't have to pay. Ben needed some fat on his bones – even though part of Daniel wondered if he was purposely not eating as much as it would be healthy to offer something rare to producers, a _vulnerable_ young actor – and Daniel was more than happy to give it to him.

Looking at Ben Daniel felt the urge to provide, to care. He didn’t understand it, there was no way he ever would, but he wasn’t going to wonder about his own behaviour.

As no answer came, he reached out to nudge Ben’s side as he put the phone away to get the hotel’s, calling the reception and ordering Chinese food. It’d be there in twenty minutes, meaning he had to get coffee from somewhere else.

“Don’t move,” he said to Ben who just grumbled something and sat down on the bed the moment Daniel stood up from it. Daniel rolled his eyes but went out in the corridor downstairs, hoping they had some coffee in the dining hall.

Normally at this time of the day they’d have nothing to offer. It was too late for dinner, far too late for breakfast and supper wouldn’t be for another few hours. But since the whole cast and half of the crew was staying here, since scenes were shot over the whole day and catering services were bloody expensive when the hotel was just ten minutes of drive away, they had a little deal with the team and always had food available.

Much to his joy, he found enough coffee to make people see sounds and brought it up to Ben, glad he left the door open. Ben hadn’t fallen asleep at the spot which Daniel took as a good sign, but looked like he was about to fall over any second. Daniel pushed the cup into his hand, lifted it to his mouth and watched how life came back into the young actor’s life.

Caffeine addict, his mind supplied and he gave a smirk, gently taking the cup from Ben’s hands as he was about to stand up and throw it away. Plastic, not the most healthiest thing for the nature, but practical. They didn’t have to walk down and give it to cleaning, the staff didn’t have to wash it.

“Good morning,” Daniel chuckled, slumping down on the chair the closest to Ben’s bed, “awake now?”

“Unfortunately,” Ben replied, sipping at his second cup, “why did you wake me up at...” He searched for a clock, completely ignoring the one standing right next to him. It was endearing. “...arse-o’clock.”

“I think it’s four. It was half past three when I made my way downstairs, so... four maybe. Food’s there in half an hour.”

Ben blinked. “Are you trying to keep me sleep-deprived so I’ll fall asleep shooting or...?”

Daniel gave a low laugh and shook his head, drinking his own coffee. “No. Besides you did earlier this morning, in case you’ve forgotten.” He shrugged. “I thought you might like some food.”

“Not when I’m asleep.”

“You weren’t when you answered the door,” he grinned, a bit amused as Ben just glared at him, “just the truth. No need to glare at me like that.”

Ben stayed silent, a little pout on his features. It was, with no doubt, incredibly cute and attractive, and Daniel caught himself looking at the other’s lips in fascination. They were made to pout, he thought, noticing that Ben was looking at his cup in interest.

“Don’t tell me you already finished your second.”

“You woke me up at four pm after I only got here at six and couldn’t sleep. Of course I did.”

“You’re feisty when you’re sleepy.” Daniel stood up and gave Ben the cup he had been sipping on, patting the young man’s shoulder in sympathy. When you weren’t used to this, the shooting late at night, the pressure of the knowledge that millions of people would watch you act on camera and would catch up on every mistake, it could be hard. For someone as young as Ben probably even more. “Remind me to always keep coffee around when handling you.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Handle me?”

“I plan on taking you out to dinner more often. Someone has to put food in you.”

As he got no reply, Daniel worried that Ben had fallen asleep with open eyes, but upon turning his head, he found out the reason for Ben’s silence: He was blushing.

Not in a light pink like Daniel had seen him do before, very often during their first time shooting a movie together, but a deeper shade, more visible on his features. He stared, hoping Ben didn’t notice; he’d want an explanation, and Daniel didn’t have one.

Hell, he had no idea what he was doing, he didn’t need someone to ask him about it. Shrugging those thoughts off, Daniel kept the clock in his line of view, just to know when to expect the food. He would have to take plates out, get something to drink maybe.

Daniel cleared his throat, making Ben flinch in surprise.

“I ordered Chinese.”

“I heard that.”

“Just repeating it in case you were asleep when I said that,” Daniel gently teased, enjoying the way Ben contracted his eyebrows as if he was deeply offended, “just teasing, Ben.”

“I know that,” Ben mumbled, blushing again. It couldn’t be healthy. Probably wasn’t. “I’m not that bad with social interaction.”

“You’re doing well.”

“I’m awkward,” the other protested, “everyone thinks I’m cute.”

“Well you are.”

Ben blinked at him, eyes widening in wonder. For a few moments he said nothing – and Daniel wondered if he had broken him – but then he looked down at his hands, mumbling something. Daniel smiled in sympathy, deciding to change the topic.

For the next few minutes they did small-talk; Daniel asked about Ben’s theatre career, if he enjoyed doing the plays, which one his favourite was – _I cannot answer that, they’re all... they’re all j-just great, it’d be horrible to pick one out of them because... they’re all... yes, they’re all my favourites_ – and how ‘The Hour’ was going. Minutes flew past them, words leaving their mouths and smiles exchanged in the privacy the room offered. Daniel couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so much, corners of his lips aching from all the grinning.

But he couldn’t help it.

Ben’s smiles were contagious; his eyes sparkling so brightly that Daniel wondered how he could be real. He was _perfect_ , in every sense of the word. How could someone like him be single, be alone and not be worshiped by everyone already? There weren’t many actors left like him, he was innocent, he was free of the burdens Daniel and others carried.

He was so young. So beautiful.

And Daniel realised he was fucked.

Truly and completely fucked. Never had that feeling felt so good, never had he enjoyed it more. Sighing to himself, he paid the guy who brought them the food up and put it on plates, handing Ben one and then settling on the table himself.

Dinner went in silence.

There was something lying on them, something heavy and uncomfortable, and Daniel couldn’t tell what it was. He lifted his head to watch Ben, seeing that he was staring at his plate with little interest, eyes meeting his own for a few seconds before the younger man looked away again, blushing and saying something under his breath; not realising that Daniel couldn’t understand him, and probably not caring about that.

Daniel looked down again, eating a spoonful of rice and chewing on it without any enthusiasm, wondering if that had been a good idea.

Ben seemed uncomfortable, nervous; instead of helping him relax and doing something good, Daniel was bringing him the stress he so clearly tried to avoid and it made him feel incredibly guilty.

Just as he was about to excuse himself, to leave and apologise for intruding, he saw that there was something on the corners of Ben’s lips, some of the sauce on his noodles. Absently, he reached out and brushed it away with his thumb, freezing as Ben gasped in surprise.

Their eyes met, once again; Ben didn’t look down this time, didn’t turn away. They just sat there, staring, until Daniel leant in and pressed his lips on Ben’s gently.

**Author's Note:**

> I am fully and completely aware that these two actors will never be in a relationship with each other, just like I am aware of Daniel's marriage and Ben's status of being taken. This is an AU story in which neither of them are in a relationship at the shooting of Skyfall, and in which they fall for each other.
> 
> I also know that my portrayal of the two is most likely not correct, and that they aren't just two characters I can toy with. This is fanfiction, and therefore pure imagination, and nothing more. I took my portrayal from interviews I saw, if anyone has ideas for me to add, feel free to, it would help a lot.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Let them talk (cover)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/722778) by [tracionn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tracionn/pseuds/tracionn)




End file.
